The present invention relates generally to a collapsible dispensing tube and, more particularly, to a collapsible dispensing tube including exterior structure for securing the tube in various coiled positions.
As is well known, many types of viscous materials, such as gels, liquids, pastes and the like, are sold in flexible tubes having a sealed crimp at one end and a narrow nozzle at an opposite end with closing structure such as a valve or cap thereon. These tubes may be made from many materials, but a majority of them are made from flexible plastic via an injection molding process. The viscous material to be dispensed from the flexible tube is generally inserted in one end, and this end is then sealed to form an embossed, crimped end seal.
In order to expel the viscous material, the tube can be squeezed or otherwise deflected inwardly with the closure removed from the nozzle. For reasons of economy, it is preferable to exhaust the supply of material in a tube before discarding it. In this context, it has been found that coiling the tube or rolling the tube upon itself can most efficiently expel the material while preventing the material from migrating away from the cap end of the tube. There is a tendency, however, for the tube to uncoil, enabling the material to migrate while also encouraging users to squeeze the tube from the middle or top near the cap rather than more efficiently from the bottom.
There have been a number of attempts made to provide suitable clips and retaining clamps and the like for such tubes, but they are generally ineffective or overly complicated. There thus remains a need for a collapsible tube that includes structure for controlling the tendency of the tube to uncoil and yet is convenient to use and inexpensive to implement.